Te Kākano Aotearoa Trust

Te Kākano Aotearoa Trust is a Wānaka community-based native plant nursery that specialises in propagating plants of local origin (Upper Clutha region) and uses these plants for localised native habitat restoration. We work with local community groups, schools, organisations & businesses in the effort to promote hands-on community land care.

Our mission is to inspire community native habitat through propagation, education and hands-on participation.

Nursery Sessions - Nursery volunteer days are open to all members of the public and are held every Tuesday & Wednesday from 9am-12pm (Spring/Summer) and 1pm-4pm (Autumn/Winter). These volunteer sessions teach propagation/cultivation techniques, leading on to planting and nurturing of the young plants in the wild and are guided by our Nursery Manager. We provide Venus coffee, tea and snacks for all our volunteers and you also get the chance to soak in the views on our deck.

Planting Projects - Each year, we identify and undertake habitat restoration projects to create islands of new native bush and enrich existing areas to provide precious habitat for our local wildlife. Work at these planting projects takes the form of maintenance days (watering and weeding) and planting days (putting the plants into the ground). Project days are on Saturdays with maintenance during the summer and planting between May and October. Dates are advertised in the calendar below, on our Facebook page, and in the Wānaka Messenger.

CALENDAR

The nursery sessions are held all year around, including

during the school holidays

If you have any queries contact us, info@tekakano.org.nz

Nursery Sessions

Every Tuesday & Wednesday

Times:

October 1 - March 31: 9am - 12

April 1 - September 30: 1pm - 4pm

Thanks to our new roof structure, we no longer have to cancel our nursery sessions on rainy days!

Anyone can volunteer at our nursery sessions, you don't need specific skills. We will show what to do. The nursery sessions are "drop in" style, come along when you can/want.

If you have any questions, get in touch!

Access to the nursery is through the QEII Reserve, either through the gate or over the nursery stile.

You will find some directions here to come to the nursery.

Planting sessions

Our planting season started on Saturday 30th of April at Lismore Park, Wānaka, and finished on the 15th October at Wishbone Falls, near Mt Aspiring national Park.

We would like to thank all the volunteers who helped at the planting sessions, and all the businesses who supported with sponsorships or in-kind donations during the planting season.

We rely on everyone's willingness and generosity to achieve the goal of growing and planting between 4 and 5,000 eco-sourced native plants every year, so, THANK YOU!

If you would like to be involved and would like to learn more about our work, please, do not hesitate to contact us!

Maintenance sessions

We plant thousands of native plants every year and we need to make sure they thrive.

If you would like to help with watering or maintenance, please get in touch!

Alternatively, you can help by watering the plants thanks to the blue drums we have set up at some of our planting sites: Millennium track, lakeshore, Eely Point, Albert Town (along the Clutha/Mata-au river, upstream from the bridge). You can also pull a few weeds growing near our native plants. Many hands make light work. Planting is only one part of the work!

Annual General Meeting

Our AGM was held online on the 20th April 2022.

You can read the 2021 annual report here, and the 2021 financial statements are there.